Welcome to another year of singing. As usual the year starts with the excitement of new music and as Corinna says it’s like having new books at the start of a school term.
The variety of our music is one of our strengths and we have started already with English folk songs, showstoppers from modern musicals, jazz classics and a Country & Western medley.Some sacred pieces will be added soon and possibly a Victorian ballad or two.
Why so many pieces? We are preparing for two different concerts. On Saturday 5th April the choir will be performing at St. Mary’s Church in High Ongar. Longtime supporters of the choir will know that we have sung in this church on many occasions and that the Reverend Stewart Gibbs has always been a great friend to the Ongar Singers. The church building is in need to some restoration work and to support this we are holding a concert and all profits will be donated to the church funds. We are hoping for a sell-out evening so that we raise as much money as possible.
The second concert we are planning for is being held in Doddinghurst, in the Village Hall on Saturday 28th June. This will be the first time we have sung in Doddinghurst and we hope to have some first-timers in the audience as well as people who have heard us sing before. There is so much to look forward to and, because the second concert will not be a repeat of the first, so much to learn.
After our Summer break we will, of course, start rehearsing for our much anticipated Christmas concert.
During the course of the year we might sing as many as 35 pieces of music from a wide range of musical genres. This is an exciting time to be a member of the Ongar Singers!